The only thing that I dislike about the Marut now is how goofy it looks. The ebony-skinned gigantic figure in golden armor was badass, this thing looks like a modron on steroids.
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The only thing that I dislike about the Marut now is how goofy it looks. The ebony-skinned gigantic figure in golden armor was badass, this thing looks like a modron on steroids.
They are related to Modrons now.
The Lore is interesting. Pretty much Primus created the Inevitables to enforce order in the planes and on dealings between people. In Sigil the Kolyarut a construct that produces contracts of gold for any two parties who want to make an agreement between themselves and are willing to pay the Kolyarut. It creates the Contract and attaches it to a Marut which will awaken and enforce the contract if it is broken, or has not been fulfilled after a specified amount of time has passed.
It's mentioned that Yugoloth mercenaries and their employers are frequent customers of the Kolyarut. As signing this contract makes it much less likely for the Yugoloth's to betray their employer.
Something the video puts an enthusiastic spotlight on, at 13:13, is the deathlock.
The deathlock is a warlock who remains bound to their patron in death. There is the regular deathlock, the weaker deathlock wight, and the stronger deathlock mastermind.
I agree it is a neat concept. It can help portray how pact magic does sometimes mean selling your soul. And I could imagine a campaign designed around defeating an ancient adventuring party that now plagues the land as a deathlock mastermind (CR 8), a death knight (CR 17), and a lich (CR 21).
Now I wish there was something that is to the deathlock what the narzugon is to the death knight, a warlock who has become a fiend. Maybe a yugoloth, ready for more deals.
Yes, with the eye and wings, the new marut's aesthetic is clearly that of a dire monodrone. And that's awesome.
Anyone else going to use five deathlocks as recurring antagonists? I'm thinking of naming them Murderface, Skwisgaar, Toki, Nathan, and Pickles.
On Maruts:
Mechanus isn't really a thing in my home game, and angels take the place of 2e Maruts as lawful neutral servants of deities, so I'm probably just going to use 3.5 or 4e versions. Learning towards 4e.
Bell of Lost Souls previewed the Ogres' stats
http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2018/...e-of-foes.html
They're pretty great and awesome, but I don't understand why the artists never draw the armor on the Ogres.
Even in the MM, the Ogre wears Hide Armor. Here you have one in ring mail that's represented bare-chested.
Oh well, it can be one of them during combat training.
Also, as a DM I would definitively give a shield to the Ogre Howda. No reason for them to have a mace instead of a greatclub, otherwise.
I want to have a party visit Pandemonium and run into a platoon of Xvarts riding Ogre Howda with the Ogre chain guys and a Xvart warlock with a trained Howler. If Howlers work like they used to (with their howls causing exhaustion), then what seems like an easy encounter could quickly go south if the xvarts gang-tackle prone and exhausted foes.
This guy has shown all the Mordenkainen's Tome of Foe monsters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHqjwTN-5C0
As it turns out, the Wretched and the Abyssal Wretch are two separate creatures.
...that makes that Mordenkainen's Mayhem even weirder.
I support the use of Xvarts and Xvart accessories.